A Finer End

occurred to her that she’d given up tea entirely when she was pregnant with Toby, and that she wasn’t at all sure she’d have the discipline to do it again.
    ’Tell me what happened yesterday,’ she said. ‘Why were you so worried about Garnet?’
    ‘Nick said... When I told him Garnet had gone out after we saw Winnie pushing her bike up the hill, he said he thought Garnet had hit Winnie with the van. I was so angry... but when I went home I looked at the van and I saw a smudge... I was afraid.’
    ‘Then what happened?’ Gemma asked it gently.
    ‘I — I couldn’t face her. I was so ashamed for even thinking such a thing. I climbed the Tor. When I came back, she was gone. I never saw her again. If I’d only gone into the house—’
    ‘You can’t know what would have happened,’ interposed Gemma. ‘No one can.’
    ‘But if she went looking for me, and someone—’
    ’I’m sure it had nothing to do with you,’ said Gemma, not sure at all. ‘And there’s no point in speculating. What we have to do now is look after you. Jack said the doctor wanted you to go to the antenatal clinic for a check-up today—’
    ‘No!’
    Gemma jerked back in astonishment at the violence of Faith’s response.
    ‘I won’t go,’ the girl insisted. ‘I can’t. Garnet — Garnet promised to take care of me... how could she leave me like this?’ She began to cry again, her shoulders heaving.
    Gemma slipped her arms round the girl, holding her and murmuring, it’s all right, it’s all right,’ just as she would with her own son. Faith was still a child, after all, and she had just lost the woman who seemed to have been in some powerful sense a substitute mother.
    After a bit, Faith’s sobs subsided, but she kept her face buried in Gemma’s shoulder, sniffing occasionally. Gemma stroked the short, damp hair back from the girl’s forehead.
    Faith smiled sleepily, whispering, ‘You’re nice. Like my mum,’ as her eyes drifted closed. In moments she was asleep, and not even the loud buzz of the doorbell disturbed her.
     
    *
     
    It amazed Jack how quickly sitting at Winnie’s bedside, stroking her hand, and talking to her as if she could understand, came to seem normal. He told her that his cousin had come to visit, and that Faith was staying with them for a bit. He said nothing about Garnet’s death.
    His thoughts strayed to Duncan. What had he found when he accompanied Detective Inspector Greely? How had Garnet died? And how had his cousin — the boy who had gone white with distress at every injured bird or dead fox in the road — grown into a man who took death so easily in his stride?
    When Maggie, who was back on duty today, motioned him that it was time for a break, he went reluctantly to the hospital canteen and had a sandwich. Suzanne Sanborne had told him that Andrew had been there most of the morning, but had not gone in to see his sister.
    She’d added, i don’t want to worry you, but Andrew’s behaving quite oddly. He seems so irrational... Just watch yourself, okay?’
    Jack walked back to the ICU, mulling it over. He’d been concerned about Andrew for Winnie’s sake, but not his own. Andrew was a schoolteacher, he reminded himself — an academic unlikely to have bloodied a nose even in primary school. If Andrew wanted to have a go at him, then let him.
    ‘She’s been restless since you left,’ Maggie informed him as soon as he reached the ward. ‘Encourage her to wake up, to talk to you, to let you know she can hear you.’
    Jack pulled his chair as close to the bed as he could, and when he reached out to stroke Winnie’s cheek, he saw that his hand was trembling, ’I hear you missed me,’ he said, trying for a light touch, ’I always knew I was irresistible.’ He took her hand in his and kissed it. ’I won’t leave you unless I must — you know that. But I need you to wake up, to talk to me. I miss you, Winnie, and I need to know you can hear me. Wake up, darling, please. Talk to me.’
    Had he felt her hand move? Winnie’s eyelids had fluttered, he was sure of it. Then she blinked, once, twice, and opened her eyes. He saw awareness flood back into her gaze, then she focused on his face and he knew that she knew him.
    So intense was the rush of relief that his throat tightened and his eyes brimmed. He bowed his head, and in that moment felt her hand grip his convulsively.
    When he looked up, her eyes were wide with panic. She turned her head from side to side, reaching